My Favorite Things about My New Marriage

My Favorite Things about My New Marriage

Oh my goodness! The last month of my life has been insane. I started my new job, began an online business, and have been diving head first into seminary each week. That being said, this blog has unfortunately taken the back burner.

That being said, I am so grateful for one of my favorite friends in this world, Shelby Newton, who has written the sweetest guest post about engagement & adjusting to life as a newly married woman. Ladies, each marriage will be different. They will come with their own challenges and perspectives, but we serve a consistent Savior.

Let us lean on one another and learn from one another and we abundantly love one another.

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Just over a year ago, I had the honor of standing beside Lauren on her wedding day [TRUE}. This year, I was honored to have Lauren stand with me on my own. It has been more than two months since that day, and marriage has been such a blast!

We love to be together.

Shelby: After being together five years before getting married, it has been wonderful for Justin and me to come home to our home each night instead of parting ways and going back to separate apartments. After work, we both get to come home and enjoy our time together.

We love to adventure.

In addition to getting married this summer, we also moved! Even before we were engaged, we knew that we wanted to move when we got married. Having both grown up in Bowling Green, KY, we wanted a new experience as newlyweds. It has been so fun and exciting to explore our new town – and to show friends and family around when they visit! (I could write an entire post about the local bakery and other local restaurants we love!) Starting marriage in a new city has taught us both to rely on one another.

I love to be his.

I love being Mrs. Turner! Not only do I get to introduce myself as Shelby Turner, but I also have classes full of students calling me “Mrs. Turner” at school–it’s my first year of teaching. It is always a fun reminder of finally being married to my favorite person and my best friend.

We have experienced provision.

Engagement brought its own lessons, such as trusting the Lord to provide. After months of prayer (and having no answer to the question “Where will you live after you get married?”), both Justin and I got job offers within hours of each other one day. We searched for what seemed like forever for a place to live, but we didn’t feel right about any of our options. Finally, the Lord provided us the most perfect apartment.

We have learned not to expect ease.

Marriage is also providing its own lessons, too. There have been logistical adjustments, like sleeping in the same bed as another person and doing dishes constantly (we don’t have a dishwasher). I have also had to work for spiritual growth. For years and years, I spent time in prayer and reading my Bible before I went to bed. After being married for a few weeks, I realized it had been over a week since I had cracked open my Bible. Every night, I spend as much time as I can with my husband, but it has never been in my nature to stop and spend my time with the Lord in the morning. (I am not a morning person, and I had always slept until the last minute before jumping up and getting ready as fast as I could.) However, I have learned that I need to get up earlier than I think I need to, drink some coffee, and spend time in prayer and growing in the Lord.

Of course, I have so much to learn and so many areas to grow in, but I am lucky to have godly parents and in-laws that are constantly praying for us and sharing their wisdom with us. We are also lucky to have other young married couples in our lives that we can lean on and enjoy life with.

At school, I often have my students rate their day or week on a scale of one to ten just to see how everything is going for them. I would give marriage so far a 10/10, and I would definitely marry Justin again in a heartbeat.

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Though I have only been married one year longer than sweet Shelby, I am reminded of the unique joys and trials that face every newly married couple. Girls. Pinterest isn’t real.

The best moments are not picture-perfect.

They are messy and sweet.

They are sometimes painful and confusing.

They are always rewarding. They always draw you closer to one another and closer to the Creator.

If you are new to this whole marriage gig, write down your favorite moments. Write down what you are learning and what you hope to learn. Write down your challenges and trials and loves and dreams. Hold them tight. The first year flies by, and I can only imagine that the years to follow do too.

Let us learn from ourselves. Let us learn from one another. Let us lean into our God.